Charleston County Puts Spending Online, Upstate Officials Call for Transparency

Upstate Officials Call for Spending Transparency

Local officials from Simpsonville City Council, Fountain Inn City Council and Greenville County announced their support Wednesday for putting local government spending records online alongside Greenville state representatives Dan Hamilton and Garry Smith.

Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom and S.C. Policy Council President Ashley Landess explained how transparency is easily achieved, and credited multiple local governments across the state who have already established transparency websites at little-to-no cost.

Under current state law, citizens must go through the burden and expense of filing requests under the Freedom of Information Act to obtain public records. A Policy Council study last year found local school districts demanded more than $400,000 in fees prior to providing public spending records under the act.

Since 2006, 14 states and five of the nation's 40 largest school districts have created online check registers at absolutely no cost to the taxpayer. At the state level, Comptroller Eckstrom already operates a transparency website for 85 state agencies and has repeatedly offered to help local governments implement transparency.

Multiple local governments across the state have accepted that help to create online spending websites, including Anderson and Charleston counties. The cities of Aiken, Cayce, Irmo and Turbeville have posted complete financial records as well. Officials from the city of Columbia, South Congaree and Dorchester County have committed to transparency, but are not yet online.

Click here to visit the Comptroller General's local government spending transparency website

"We are spending more public money than ever in history and transparency is important in order for taxpayers to communicate their priorities and ensure they know where their tax dollars are being spent," said Landess.

Greenville County Councilman Willis Meadows said he fully supports online transparency and hopes to convince the rest of his fellow council members to commit to the project. He said some council members worry there will be a cost or burden to county employees, but that after speaking with officials in counties with transparency websites already in place he is convinced it would actually save time and money.

"It costs our citizens to get this (information), but it also costs the county a good bit of money to research this. If we had some of this online then the county personnel could be doing other things while you as a citizen could look these things up," said Meadows.

Charleston County Puts Spending Information Online

Charleston County joined the growing list of local South Carolina governments putting spending records online last week.

The county now has a new transparency section on its website including a comprehensive listing of county spending information, including employee credit card expenditures of more than $100. It does not contain personal data including employee salary and health insurance information.

Charleston County Councilman and Policy Council member Joe McKeown pushed the county to implement online transparency after seeing Comptroller General Eckstrom's offer to assist local governments with putting spending records online.

County officials initially objected and argued transparency would cost too much, but after speaking with Eckstrom they became convinced it can be done cheaply and easily, said McKeown.

"Every dollar we spend belongs to the public, and having these records online serves as a daily reminder to every public official and employee that the money we spend is theirs and they are watching to make sure we spend it wisely," said McKeown.

Charleston County says it will post a report each month containing the prior month's spending records. May spending data is already online for the public to view.

Click here to view May 2009 spending information for Charleston County

Fourteen states and five of the nation's 40 largest school districts have created no-cost online check registers since 2006. Comptroller Eckstrom already operates a transparency website for 85 state agencies.

Nothing in the foregoing should be construed as an attempt to aid or hinder passage of any legislation. Copyright 2009. South Carolina Policy Council Education Foundation, 1323 Pendleton Street, Columbia, South Carolina 29201.